President Klaus calls meeting with parliamentary party leaders

President Vaclav Klaus has called a meeting with the leaders of all parliamentary parties for next week but noted he would not intervene in government negotiations. Speaking to journalists during a visit to an exhibition in the town of Ceske Budejovice, Mr Klaus said the meeting with party leaders was called because the political turns of the last few days had taken him by surprise. But the Czech President also reiterated on Saturday that politicians should not be held responsible for the political deadlock that the country has been battling since the elections in early June. Their attempts at forming a majority government are hindered by the fact that the number of seats in the lower house of Parliament is evenly divided between the left parties and the centre and right parties, Mr Klaus stressed.

Mr Klaus also said, with the current political situation, he cannot judge Christian Democrat leader Miroslav Kalousek for entering talks with the Social Democrats and seeking support from the Communists.